Elves
The Elves are an ancient race of powerful magic users. Though they appear similar to the Human's, they are not an evolution of the First Kin, but rather spawn of the almighty Yggdrasil. History Creation At the beginning of the first world, before even the First Kin, there was the Yggdrasil. The Yggdrasil's great roots were nourished by the land and in turn helped it grow. When the great giant Elvakiir died at the base of the Yggdrasil, the great tree drew strength from him, and with his flesh made the first of the Elves, the Voluspa. ('First Ones') They lived in a relatively peaceful society for many years, until their first encounter with the evolution of the First Kin; the Dwarves. Almost immediately, the two races hated each other. The Dwarves used wood for lumber and heat, but the Elves worshipped nature. The Dwarves found the Elves to be self-absorbed and despised their waste of precious ores. It is proposed that barely a week after first contact the two races went to war. The Elves, though strong and high in numbers, were not as fertile or as technologically advanced as the Dwarves. It was during this long and bloody war that the early Orcs came into conflict with the Elves. The mad horde led by Grul Bonecrusher was a roaming band of Orcs that constantly threw themselves into battle, and eagerly tore through the Elven territories. Convinced that the Orcs could be used to their advantage, the Elven general Lord Azildin sought corrupt magics to transform himself into a twisted hybrid of Orc and Elf. Azildin transformation drove him made, and instead of controlling the Orcs he killed Grul and took over the horde, though his transformation did prove useful to the Elves, as he chose to also fight the Dwarves, who were able to crush the horde. When the Warforged arose, the Elves reluctantly signed the peace treaty and ended the war. But as a countermeasure of sorts, they began to tame the great dragons, sending their greatest warriors to ride them. While it is not known exactly how large their Empire was, it is known that the Elves, like the first kin, had small settlements across the world before the Creation War eradicated them. First Era The Elves, grievously stung by their mistakes in the war, turned their attentions to internal affairs. After the great horror of the Orcs and the betrayal of Lord Azildin, the Voluspa themselves were corrupt, if only slightly. And so the first massive shift in Elven culture began, with the final result leaving three seperate species; The Elves of the Mountains, those of the Wood, and those who remained true, the High Elves. It was then that the King of Elves, Gariniel, had a prophetic dream in which the forests burned and all it's animals were brutally slaughtered. Horrified, Gariniel blamed the Dwarves. Leading his armies into righteous war, Gariniel's forces clashed with the Dwarves in a long, drawn out war. The conflict escalated drastically when a small force of Elves found their way into the Dwarven capital of Arennia, where they decimated innocents and soldiers alike. The Elves were eventually captured and brutally executed, along with their entire homeland, the small Elvish isle of Illia. The Elves immediately called for peace. Still concerned by his visions, Gariniel turned his attention to the Halflings, who possessed many forests within their lands and posed very little resistance. They immediately claimed all neutral territory surrounding the Halflings, before poking at the edges of their defences. Unfortunately for them, the Elves were already weak from their previous conflict and thus were easily subdued when the U.R.C intervened. When word reached the capital that the Orc's had re-emerged and were burning down forests for amusement, Gariniel, horrified by his mistakes, threw himself off the highest point of the citadel onto the stones below. Second Era Despite the U.R.C peace treaty, the Elves desperately sought land. So began another war with the Halfling's, desperately trying to dislodge the hill nomads from their abode. While slowly forcing the Halfling's away on one side, the Elves were fighting three other battles elsewhere. The Orcs blood-lust had finally subsided, but the now pure-Orc descendants of Azildin sought to return to what they saw as their birthright, so they returned to the Elven territories to make their own territory. The Orcs were slowly carving away at the Elves, weakening their home-front. The Elves also had yet another internal struggle to deal with. The curse of Vampirism was spreading quickly among the realms of man. The Elves, desperate to crush this virus, sent purging parties to human lands, attempting to snuff out Vampirism. But some Elves were seduced by the dark power that the curse offered, turning themselves into Blood Elves. The Blood Elves were outcast by their brothers, and the purging parties were soon forcibly dismissed, the descendants of the survivors eventually becoming Night Elves. The Elvakhin then threw themselves into another war with the Dwarves, again concerned by their 'waste' of lumber. They sent out their esteemed Dragon Riders to fly out and destroy the Dwarven castle of Arennia. Though the Dwarves were able to quickly mount a counter-attack, their defence of the skies was weak, easily decimated by the Dragon Riders. The Elves scorched the surface of Arennia, killing thousands. But the Dwarves counter dealt an equally crippling blow; a single artillery shell poisoned the Yggdrasil. This great corruption forced the U.R.C to intervene, threatening to force the Dwarf/Elf war to an end if they did not make peace. The Dwarves continued to argue and confer with the Elves, as the Dwarves were born to cultivate mountains, whereas the Elves were to worship life. The first time the two races worked together was during the rise of Shadowscythe. Many Elves succumbed to the dark power of Shadowscythe, joining his mad armada. While the Dwarves sought out and destroyed all of Shadowscythe's spies in the Elves territory, the Elves trained a small group of Dwarven dragon riders, who were able to decimate Shadowscythe's aerial forces. The two races then joined their armies and united with the other races to halt Shadowscythe's army, destroying his body and burying his soul beneath Aerth in a chamber of stone. Third Era Crushed by their own mistakes, the Elves began to rebuild. The armies pushing against the Halfling's had been all but forgotten, and were able to displace the Halfling's and take their lands. Though regretful, the Elves could not pass up this opportunity to reclaim lands. The Orcs were held off successfully, and the Elves finally returned to normal function. This time, it was the Dwarves who begun battle. The Dwarven people demanded justice for the crimes the Elves had committed, and so the two races locked in one final, devastating battle. This time, both the Elves and the Dwarves were aware of each-others tricks. The war lasted fives years before anybody was able to quell them. Knowing of the Dwarves ingenuity and technology, the Elves used their one advantage; magic. The training of their most elite ranks of soldiers was hastened, producing some of the greatest warriors to ever grace Elven armies, while the mages created the pinnacle of Elven magic; Elishua, a great golem born of stone and bearing the bark of Yggdrasil as armour. The Dwarves, meanwhile, created a great warship titled THOR, that fired artillery shells filled with blazing oil. While THOR decimated the Elven coasts and isles, Elishua cut a path straight through the Dwarven lands. It was the unlikely aid of the Forsaken that slowed the conflict enough for other races to intervene. Though weakened and low in numbers, the Forsaken were still able to hold both armies in a deadlock until the full might of the U.R.C once again pacified the two races. As a sign of peace, the Dwarves gave the Elves a THOR ship and received Gamaliel, one of Elishua's successors. Fourth Era At the turn of the fourth era, the Elves and Dwarves pooled their resources to create the shining city of Evahnim, combining Dwarven craftsmanship, defence, and architecture with Elven beauty and utility, it is one the most beautiful and powerful cities in the world. Having finally quelled their two greatest foes, the Dwarves and the Orcs, the Elves were finely able to return to that of which they were best; tending the land. The Elves have always been self-sustaining, and they remain so. Biology Elves, though appearing similar to Humans, are quite different. Most noticeably, they have pointed ears and are much taller, averaging at about seven feet, while also being very slender. Elves generally stop growing at thirty years old, at which point their mana begins expanding exponentially. The lifespan of an Elvakhin is greatly heightened, and they can live to be nearly 1000 years old. An Elvakhin of 200 years is comparable to a teenager by Elven standards. There are also different sub-species of Elf, each with their own unique characteristics. High Elves are most like the Voluspa, the original Elvakhin. As such, they have the strongest mana flow, able to draw and store vast quantities of mana. They share the skin tones of First Kin. Mountain Elves are better adapted to high altitudes, making them the best candidates for Dragon riders. Their lung capacity is nearly twice that of a High Elf (which is already more than that of a human) and they have even greater vision. Their skin is a very light grey. Wood Elves are the most nimble, able to quickly travel through treetops. They are shorter than most Elves, being only slightly taller than the average human. However, their solitude from society has made them the most attuned with nature, and they have been known to communicate with fauna and flora. They have skin the colour of underbark. Blood Elves have given themselves to unholy magics; they can no longer commune with mana, and are rather forced to drain it from other beings or magical items. Instead of Mana, they may instead tap into the Sanguine, a force that Blood Elves can drain from blood rituals. The Sanguine alters their magic, making it easier to control and dark red in colour, though it is far more deadly to all involved. Their flesh is often a very pale red. Night Elves are incredibly quick and quiet, having greater hearing than any other elf. They are commonly assassins, their purplish skin hiding them well under the cover of darkness. The Night Elves carve runes into their own flesh as symbols of their past, and have forsaken the rest of their species for their abandonment. Dark Elves have bonded themselves with mana, becoming living embodiment of magic. The raw power consumed them, burning them out from the inside. They have dark skin and tend to be of an evil alignment, due to the corruption of their mana fueled beings. Society Elves value respect and nobility. Their settlements tend to be one with the forest; a combination of beautiful white buildings with high pillars and large open spaces, great sources of water such as a waterfall, lake or river, with trees and other wildlife. Elven cities tend to be in easily defensible positions or have high walls, and will always be fortified by several sentries and magical wards. Military is important to the Elves, and they have created several specialised units dedicated to militant operations, including; * Dragon Riders- Those trained specifically to ride Dragons into battle. Incredibly efficient air combatants. * '''Warmasters- '''Trained from birth to wield virtually any weapon, the Warmasters are often commanders to other, less well trained units. * '''Dead Brothers- '''A small group of ancient warriors brought back from the dead, the Dead Brothers are cursed to fight eternally. Only the greatest warriors of history are added to their ranks. * '''Grey Hellions- '''Blood Elves who have been forced to wear accursed armour, the Hellions are constantly in pain, their only salvation the blood they gather in battle. Elvakhin society is a Monarchy; each sub-species of Elf has it's own King and/or Queen. This works in familial lines; only those of royal blood may take up the throne. As such, it is not entirely uncommon to find inbreeding within Elves, keeping the bloodlines 'pure'. It is very rare that there is any deviation, as Elves very rarely complain about politics. When deviations do occur, however, the new royal bloodline will usually be a young (500-700 years old) elf from the royal courts. Those who aren't employed as hunters, rangers, warriors or beast tamers tend to work in the arts. Whether it be a seamstress, artist, smith, musician, or something else, Elves have a natural aptitude for artistic subjects. Gardening and Farming are also popular, though they are generally considered one and the same. Magecraft or Scholarly duties are also incredibly valued and well respected occupations. Elves produce rare crops such as Oakbloom flowers and 'Yognil', a traditional drink made from tree sap and various spices. The artworks and clothing exported from their capital, Ithadeeal, are famed throughout the land for being of the absolute highest quality. Being self-sustaining as they are, Ithadeeal very rarely imports anything, mostly dealing in exports of art, cloth, pelts, meats, fruits and flowers. Attributes * Tall: Elves are generally rather tall. * High Mana Concentration: Elves are very powerful spell-casters, able to cast incredibly powerful spell's from a relatively young age. * Strong Mana Flow: Elves have a high mana capacity, allowing them to cast a great number of spells without tiring. * Enhanced Senses: Elves have exceptionally acute eyesight and hearing, making them excellent sentries and trackers. * Agile: Elves are extraordinarily agile and fast. * Long-lived: Elves have an extremely long lifespan. Noteworthy Elves * None Trivia * None Category:Elvakhin-Tiri Pact